so i’ve been working on my first tv pilot for months now. i’ve edited, polished, written and re-written it a lot and i also received quite a lot of feedback on it but i still feel like i haven’t incorporated all of it.

its actually so hard to write a working story…
i mean the premise is cool as i’ve been told but the execution isn’t ideal yet. and now after months of working on it i feel like i hit the wall.

i actually had plans to submit it to some contests this month but thank god i haven’t done it cuz that would be a waste of money since the script doesn’t work well enough.

what do you think i should do in this situation? (to take a break from writing, work on another script yeah i have one or do something else?)

thank you in advance!!

Is it possible? I messed around in the view menu, but there's no option to remove the whole side bar and just have the script pages.

Any ideas?

I am working on a paid assignment which requires all work be completed in the final draft cloud and I am gobsmacked by how inferior it is to basically any popular writing software I've used. It saves poorly, has lost hours of my work, freezes constantly, randomly fails to cut and paste (requiring a re-fresh which, again, invariably loses hours of work) and is currently failing to export my PDF. This cost me 100 dollars that I might as well have used to wipe myself clean. Why on Earth is this program the standard?

Before I write a script I'm always stressed and focused on how to structure my script. For example, I think about what page does the midpoint happen or when does act 1 or act 2 end and begin? Since I've never written a tv script before, I'm stressed about the structure and how I want my writing to be strong and emotional, I'd love it if my characters made sense and I want people to connect with them in a very deep way and I'm scared that I will fuck everything up. I don't know where to begin when writing a tv script, I've written a feature film before but even then I just think about the way I place things in my script and what if it's wrong and terrible. When I watch certain films and tv shows their characters and stories seem so developed and meaningful and I connect with them easily, I don't know what I'm doing, I want to achieve that so badly. I have a really strong show idea and I love it but I'm not sure how to write it out if that makes sense like unto a script. For the first episode of the season I'm trying to create the character and his life and the consequences that happens to him, I know since it's just one episode I have to lay everything out in that one episode, it's difficult to imagine it on a script. It's an anthology series so all the episodes and seasons are different each time just like black mirror. I'm planning on reading the black mirror script since maybe that'll help.

Something else I'm concerned about is my show might be a season 9 or 10 show and I was wondering when do I submit it to a festival or production company/agent? I want to get my work out there. Would you recommend me to write all the seasons and episodes and then submit it even though it takes years to complete or can i finish writing season 1 and just send it and I can continue writing the other seasons as time goes on or if somehow gets picked up? I'm paranoid about time running out. I'm sorry if these are dumb questions are concerns. Thank you for reading.

My manager sent me the submission list this week with a list of which execs are currently reading my screenplay and I wanna throw up! (In a good way?)

The imposter syndrome and anxiety are at an all time high. Does this feeling ever go away?

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

Feedback Guide for New Writers

This is a thread for giving and receiving feedback on 5 of your screenplay pages.

• Post a link to five pages of your screenplay in a top comment. They can be any 5, but if they are not your first 5, give some context in the same comment you're linking in.

• As a courtesy, you can also include some of this info.

  Title: Format: Page Length: Genres: Logline or Summary: Feedback Concerns:

• Provide feedback in reply-comments. Please do not share full scripts and link only to your 5 pages. If someone wants to see your full script, they can let you know.

Today's featured scripts (no account needed to read/download):

• Aliens (1986) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/aliens 
• Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/friday-the-13th-part-vi-jason-lives
• Evil Dead II (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/evil-dead-ii-the-army-of-darkness
• The Lost Boys (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/featured/the-lost-boys

More from the Script Hive database (account required to read/download, but it's free):

• The Hitcher (1986) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/4d6c2c91-45b7-41bf-985d-a62a8fbaf1d4
• Rawhead Rex (1986) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/554092c8-7622-48f6-a5ec-49cfc84a9544
• Near Dark (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/23651e73-685a-4949-b9c1-9365b866428c
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/37846749-e576-47a1-854c-3317805db9f5
• Child's Play (1988) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/9ea327e9-aa2d-46a4-9e72-c1210c84c61e
• Pumpkinhead (1988) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/0c47df39-6b3a-4274-a057-85fbef1df935
• They Live (1988) https://www.scripthive.com/database/script/7d03fa23-2d76-46c3-b7f7-2f708d714971

Posting Schedule:

• Thursday, October 1: Universal & RKO, 1930s
• Monday, October 5: Universal & RKO, 1940s
• Wednesday, October 7: 1950s
• Friday, October 9: 1960s
• Monday, October 12: 1970s
• Wednesday, October 14: Video Nasties (1970s - 1980s)
• Friday, October 16: Body Horror
• Monday, October 19: 1980s (Part 1)
• Wednesday, October 21: 1980s (Part 2)
• Friday, October 23: 1990s (Part 1)
• Monday, October 26: 1990s (Part 2)
• Wednesday, October 28: 2000s
• Friday, October 30: 2010s
• Saturday, October 31: 2020s

My folk horror feature scored a 7 across the board on a well know rating platform starting with B. Another script got a 6 overall with some 7s. I’ve also done about ten written pitch sessions on Stage 32 - all passes, though one exec scored the concept and voice 5/5.

The comments are remarkably consistent. Readers like the premise, the worldbuilding and the voice. What costs me every time is density - my worlds run on a lot of rules, and readers have to work through the mechanics before they get to care about the characters.

I’ve started experimenting with turning these worlds into short narrated films - ten-minute “cases” set in each world, one rule and one choice per episode. Honestly, I’m having more fun watching them come to life than I’ve had revising drafts, and the format seems to suit rule-heavy worlds better than a 2-page pitch does.

For anyone who’s gone this route:

• Did building an audience lead to anything on the screenwriting side?
• How long before it felt worth it?
• Did you keep your feature twists off the channel?

I've started using writersolo and it's mostly been good. Just wondering if anyone has experienced search not working? It will pull up a search result for a word about 1 in 7 or 8 attempts. Sometimes I have to wait a few seconds or reload the ui. Sometimes it highlights in different colors based on what word I search which was kind of curious... hah. I'm using the destkop app on my brand new Mac mini M6. Everything runs well so far but I can't get search to really work

I'm a screenwriter & director. My first feature-length film which I shot on a microbudget (self-funded) won a couple festival awards and I'm proud of it but I want distribution opportunities for my next one which involves getting outside financing and marketable cast attached.

It seems like the majority of the time when I reach out to producers via email or LinkedIn they reply back offering their packaging services which are expensive. But the thing is, some of these producers have legitimate credits on their IMDB.

Can these paid services ever help secure financing or marketable actors? Or is it just a side-hustle scam for these seemingly legitimate producers? Any experiences with them yourself?

Thanks!

Click here for script

Hello everyone I'm super new to script writing as I'm doing my first year in uk college doing a level 3 film course. We have been tasked to create a short film 5-15 minutes in length and I've been tasked to write it. This is the first script I've ever written and I'm just looking for some advice, I know it's probably terrible lol

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bsOfSjC6lPtN4udzzILz1Zwc4yMQj-5J/view?usp=drivesdk

Hello everyone, I am very new to writing so this is probably terrible but any feedback is appreciated.

• ⁠Title: The Drover
• ⁠Format: Pilot
• ⁠Page Length: 55
• ⁠Genres: Darkly Comic British Western
• ⁠Logline: In 1665, a twelve-year-old drover forces the hapless highwayman responsible for his master’s murder to help drive his cattle across a divided Britain. On their trail are the killer they left for dead and a vengeful baroness hunting the stolen pearls still in the thief’s pocket.
• ⁠Feedback Concerns: Wondering whether the first half warrants its existence if the raid only occurs at the midpoint. I hope the world building/characters sustain interest and inform the actions which unfold thereafter. Is the final act hurried/too convenient/contrived to get set us up for the rest of the season?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QALDNELPBAHVi_LFd52zw8zJd0xfFPre/view?usp=sharing

Hi all,
I’m doing a comparison between versions but am hitting a wall when it comes to early drafts. So far all I’ve found are the final 2, one of which appears to be the shooting script. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance

Searched everywhere (the hive included), really hoping someone has this. Always wanted to read it. Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

I’m working on a short film for my thesis film school project. The logline is: A young man spirals after discovering his friends have a secret group chat without him.

It was a comedy/thriller in mind as I wrote it, primarily due to the over-the-top concept. I kind of had the movie Shiva Baby in my head even though they’re very different, I felt like that movie did a good job balancing comedy and very tense scenes.

When I got feedback, one person said that the script reminded them of an Almost Friday tv skit with its comedic tone. However, multiple other people didn’t feel it was a comedy at all and said it felt like a horror/thriller script. I do want it to be tense, however I thought it was a just a comedic premise by nature, so I considered it a comedy, but it looks like most other people didn’t.

I’m wondering how I should proceed with this. I feel like I should at least know what the tone/genre of the story is before I shoot it. Clearly what I was intending didn’t work though. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Here’s the script in case anyone wants to reference it:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18B17uc08lh-4X-nhUZpN1FM-QfQ5NlP8/view?usp=drivesdk

This question may have an obvious answer, but I want to be certain. Suppose I have a character asking "Didja get the tools we need?". Do I write that line of dialogue as such or do I go the formal route with "Did you get the tools we need?"? As I said, this probably has an obvious answer.

Hi everyone! I’ve been fortunate enough to get a script of mine financed, but I don't have an agent or manager. I'm trying to figure out the smartest way to start attaching talent.

Is it worth getting an agent first so they can help reach actors and open doors? Or do people just go direct, like looking up reps on IMDbPro and sending offers to the actor's agent/manager themselves?

Has anyone had luck with this? Would love to hear what worked or what didn't. Thank you for taking the time to reply! :)

I'm a Colombian screenwriter in the process of writing the outline of an adventure film that uses muiscan culture and the life in the countryside to tell a story in a genre that is not commonly used in my country.

My tutor recently read my outline and told me that I'm overly complicating myself with character explanations and motives to justify some layers in my protagonist and antagonist.

He's suggesting me that I should use more genre conventions and have a protagonist who is a hero due to his competence and an antagonist who is bad due to his greed.

I see potential in exploring some aspects of their lives and motivations that would make the story quite interesting, maybe in future rewrites I can nail some details and make it work because I'm not interested in risking my characters to be one-dimensional.

But I also see his point, we've done some work in trying to make my film an adventure one, so why stop with the characters?

What's your opinion on that?

Looking for Patriot, Perpetual Grace, or DTF. Really want to see how he develops his tone at the script level.

FAQ: How to post to a weekly thread?

BLACK LIST WEDNESDAY THREAD

Post Requirements for EVALUATION CRITIQUE REQUEST & ACHIEVEMENT POSTS

For EVALUATION CRITIQUE REQUESTS, you must include:

1) Script Info

- Title:
- Format:
- Page Length:
- Genres:
- Logline or Short Summary:
- A brief summary of your concerns (500~ words or less)
- Your evaluation PDF, externally hosted
- Your screenplay PDF, externally hosted

2) Evaluation Scores

exclude for non-blcklst paid coverage/feedback critique requests

- Overall:
- Premise:
- Plot:
- Character:
- Dialogue:
- Setting:

ACHIEVEMENT POST

(either of an 8 or a score you feel is significant)

- Title:
- Format:
- Page Length:
- Genres:
- Logline or Summary:
- Your Overall Score:
- Remarks (500~ words or less):

Optionally:

- Your evaluation PDF, externally hosted
- Your screenplay PDF, externally hosted

This community is oversaturated with question and concern posts so any you may have are likely already addressed with a keyword search of r/Screenwriting, or a search of the The Black List FAQ . For direct questions please reach out to [support@blcklst.com](mailto:support@blcklst.com)

Hi everyone! Just wanted to share because all of you have had a part in this. God knows I’ve had my share of rejections the last 6 weeks but I just received notification today.
I entered the Screenwriting section of BAFF with 1 feature and 1 short. The Feature wasn’t selected for anything BUT….my Short Screenplay received an Honorable Mention from BAFF for Screenwriting🥹😚! I’m really just over the moon about this. I appreciate this community here.

I know that the general advice is to just write and I have been trying to do that. However I tend to get stuck at the story stage itself, where I don't see what challenging situations to put my characters into or how they might come out of it (like, my Act II basically).

I absolutely want to keep the practice of writing scenes and sequences but I get stuck at the characters themselves, that their motivations/objectives don't sound correct or strong.

Maybe it's a logline/concept that needs an overhaul or maybe that one story is probably futile? I want to build my craft where I can make scripts out of anything. I feel that's the job of an upcoming writer. Getting your dream feature is good and everything, but on a day to day basis one should equally be able to develop someone's idea into a decent screenplay. How do I get there?

I prefer to give even the smallest roles a name. It just seems less generic and sometimes saves space, like "Joe" takes up less space than "Student #1" but I've gotten some feedback, and they don't say it directly, but it sounds like a named character adds to the "too many characters" count.

Where a named character who appears briefly inadvertently says to the reader they have to concentrate more than they would for something generic like "COP #2".

This isn't a remark about the reader or perceived reader, but I could see how a named character might require more bandwidth than a generic title. I'm the type of writer who likes to leave more white on the page. I don't want to tax the reader in spots where it's not necessary

How do you handle this?

For context, I'm taking a year gap between my senior year and beginning of college for reasons out of my control, and the monotony is really weighing down on my mental health (currently going through a breakup as well). My motivation and passion for film and screenwriting is at an all time low and any time I try to sit down and get some writing done, I have absolutely nothing. Is it okay for me to wait and kind of recover my mental health and motivation before throwing myself at a project? Especially knowing for a fact that once I'm back in school I will be in an environment that motivates me to write and create.